The Air Force can lose millions of dollars each year due to non-reimbursement for fuel off-loaded during aerial refueling by current fuel delivery aircraft. When a refueling aircraft cannot be identified accurately, the Air Mobility Command generally absorbs a cost of the off-loaded fuel.
Fuel delivery aircraft crews currently manually collect and record information for refueling aircraft through a combination of radio voice contact and visual identification of the refueling aircraft tail number. However, operating conditions can exist which may prevent the fuel delivery aircraft crews from getting required identification information from the refueling aircraft. These operating conditions may comprise bad weather, night operations, radio silence, combat situations, and the like. Furthermore, these conditions may additionally tax the attention of tanker crews compounding risks in what can already be an inherently non-optimal operational environment.
After refueling operations have taken place and the refueling data is manually recorded in flight, the fuel delivery aircraft crews then manually enter the refueling data into various electronic systems of record. Manual entry of the refueling data can be inaccurate if an operator has recorded partial or incorrect information in flight, and/or neglects to enter the data after a flight. Furthermore, manual entry of the refueling data can also be inaccurate if the operator, loses some of the refueling transactions recorded on paper, and/or introduces typographical errors when entering the refueling data into the electronic systems.
Therefore, there is a need for systems and methods that provide improved bookkeeping and inventory control for aerial refueling.